Look at those baby blues!!!!!!!!
Obviously Franklin is jealous that I have glasses so he had to get a pair. J/K

Prayer Request

Please pray for my cousin Stacie. She has MS and has discovered that her antibodies are off the charts. This means that the medicine that she has been taking to lessen her MS symptoms is not working. Her doctor from the Mayo Clinic advised her to stop taking the medicine she is currently on. She is only left with three choices: Chemotherapy(which would make her really sick and only mask her symptoms), not taking any medicine(and living with a lot of MS symptoms), or a medicine called Tysabri that is notorious for killing people(it was taken off the market and is now back on). She is young and has a young daughter. Please pray for her, as this is not an easy situation to be in.

Here's a funny story about Stacie. When she was a teenager she decided to wrap a present at Christmas time. She found this really cool paper with Santa on it. So, she cut it up and wrapped the present. When her mom went looking for her Vintage Santa poster, she knew she had accidently wrapped the present with it. I guess it wasn't to funny at the time, but it's REALLY funny now. I know you appreciate me telling a lot of people this story! I could actually start a blog called: Funny things that Stacie did when she was little! We love you and we are praying for you!

O Holy Night

You MUST watch this video!

Here's an oldie but a goodie, taken by Uncle John

Well Fischer was supposed to have tubes put in his ears tomorrow morning but our wonderful insurance has decided that it was a pre-existing condition, and so he will have to wait until next August to have the surgery. Apparently there is a one year waiting period for pre-existing conditions. Insurance companies are so ridiculous. What does it matter if he has the surgery now or in 9 months? Either way they will pay for it...and in the mean time they will be paying for all of the ear infections and other issues that arise from his little problematic ears. I just hope that it does not delay his hearing. I feel like he is hearing OK but the doc won't give him a hearing test. He says its not necessary because he probably only has trouble hearing when there is a lot of background noise. He said a hearing test would not be accurate. I just hope that it is not too late in 9 months...I hope it does not delay his speech. I have to admit however that I am somewhat relieved...I wasn't looking forward to seeing his face as they took him away from me.

Tonight we had our Girls Night In at our house. We had a blast! We made care packages for the seniors that went off to college this past fall! I wish I was in college so I could get a care package like this one! The girls came through with LOTS of stuff to put in the packages. As you can see from the pics we had a fun time! Just thought I'd show a few pics from the night!

OK, so am I the only one who is totally disgusted with the way people are acting to get a PlayStation 3?? I am watching the news and they are telling all these stories of people being SHOT and robbed while standing in line to wait for one. ITS A VIDEO GAME SYSTEM PEOPLE!! Why do the companies make it so only a few people can obtain these? I think they secretly enjoy watching people act like complete idiots. This leads me to believe that most of these people waiting in line are getting a present for their child for Christmas. I recently heard a little presentation on how this lady "simplified Christmas." It was neat to hear how she made Christmas in her house more about Jesus and less about stuff! She decided that if three gifts were good enough for Jesus then it was definitely good enough for her children! She also started decorating with fresh evergreen and fruit to remind her family members of how God provides! I just thought she had really great ideas and I am sad that most people in the world are SO greedy and selfish at Christmas time. Dear Lord, please NEVER allow me to become so greedy that I would stand in line for hours or even days to obtain a worthless item that you promised would rust!

Here is a picture of Fischer in his Chicken Little Costume. I have more that will be coming later. I also attached some pics from Vala's Pumpkin Patch. Notice the very responsible adult sponsor that we had on our trip! She's going to kill me for putting this picture on here but I couldn't resist! This weekend is our big youth rally! We are gearing up for about 190 kids! Alex and Phil are also coming up from Oklahoma so that will be fun!

Another busy week here in Nebraska. I am excited because we actually have NOTHING to do tonight. We are going to watch the World Series and relax as a family. Don't get me wrong: I love being busy and I am grateful for all the many activities that we are involved in, it's just nice to stay home for one night! We went to the Mercy Me/Audio Adrenaline concert the other night. It was SO good! I can't wait until Mercy Me comes back around. My parents are coming to visit next week, so that will be fun! Fischer is going to be Chicken Little for Halloween! I will definitely get a pic of that up right after Halloween. The weekend after that is our annual youth rally.."Akastasia." The kids came up with the theme which is, "Are you Chikn?" The weekend after the youth rally we will be having the monthly Girls Night Out except this month it is Girls Night In. The reason for that...it is freezing here. It has already snowed three times and it is not even November yet!!! Anyway, Fischer will probably wake up any minute, so I better get going!

I took these pictures at a park near our house. It is so beautiful in Nebraska right now. We are taking the teens to the Pumpkin Patch tonight. I am so excited...I think more than the teens.

Yes, that would be my son who loves to wear a tiara and carry around a black purse!!

I've been threatened a few times in the past couple of days, so I guess I need to post. Every time I sit down to post, something happens: I remember something that needed to be done, Fischer wakes up, the phone rings...you get the idea. A lot has been going on. We are ALWAYS busy, but certainly not complaining about it. Autumn is right around the corner. The air here is crisp and cool, and I already bought a pumpkin!!

My job at the WeeSchool is going good. The kids are still screaming when there parents drop them off, but hopefully it will get better in a few weeks. I am SO exhausted after just two hours with six 2 year olds. Either I am really out of shape or it IS just really exhausting.

I wish I had some deep, profound thought, but it's late(yes 9:30 is late for me) and there's nothing left in me tonight. I am even going to leave the dirty dishes in the sink...and feel great about it. :)

Here is a recent picture of Fischer ....Is he GQ or what???

Well, a lot has happened since I actually wrote a new blog. Fischer had his 1st Birthday Party. He shared and celebrated it with his 84 year old Great-Grandpa! He told me that Fischer is the 5th person in the family to have that birthday. Weird, huh?

It's hard to believe that Fischer is 1. So much has changed in our lives in the past year. Sometimes we will be driving down the road and think...Where are we again?? Oh yeah, we live in Nebraska. We feel truly blessed to have a beautiful healthy child and a new church family that continues to amaze us.

We left Fischer over night for the first time last night. As we drove off from the place he was staying, I felt as if we were not a whole family. Although I was excited about being able to enjoy a night out, I really felt misplaced. I wonder if this is how people feel who do not know Christ. Like something is missing...like they are not whole. I can't imagine being without a church family or without the hope we have in Heaven! Last night we were at Wal-Mart and I started talking to this girl about MOPS(a ministry we have at church to reach out to moms), and she told me how she was looking for a church to go to. My point is that people are out there, people who are searching...but do we take the time to find them or do we pass up countless opportunities to reach out? I know I pass up way to many...how about you?

FISCHER LIKES CHOCOLATE PUDDING!!

Sorry it's been so long since my last post...life has been crazy. I've been out of town and we are having company for the next two weeks!

Fischer is officially walking now! He just decided on Wednesday that walking was much better than crawling.

I accepted a job today at the church pre-school. I am excited to earn a little extra cash to help pay for our health insurance, but I am also sad that I have to go back to work. It is a very ideal situation however...a friend is going to watch Fischer until he can attend the pre-school with me. So, by December he will be going to work with me...can't beat that!!

I posted a picture of Fischer golfing at grandma's house. He is already a pro...he has the stance down and everything.

It has been a very busy two weeks. After the 4th we had Phil, Alex and Dallas come to visit. We ventured to the Omaha Zoo on Saturday. I think Fischer really enjoyed having three extra boys in the house.

Been having dizzy spells the past two days...can't figure out why and can't seem to find a doctor who wants to do anything about it. I have to say I do miss the doctors in Ponca. If I wasn't feeling well or I thought something was wrong, they would just have me come in. Finding a doctor here to care about your situation is challenging. I guess that is part of big city living.

Fischer is talking more and more every day. I went to get him out of the car and he said, "Hi Mom." He also loves to say , "Hi Daddy."

Well here are a few pics from the past few weeks.

Well we definitely bought the best house in Nebraska. You can see EVERY firework display in a 100 mile radius from our back yard. These people in Nebraska are CRAZY about fireworks. It literally sounds like a war is going on at our house. I am glad that this doesn't go on all year though.

Fischer had to go to an ENT specialist about his ear infections. They are thinking about tubes, but we are trying the preventive antibiotic first. Hopefully this works.

Fischer also took his FIRST step. Of course we haven't been able to get him to do it again. We know he wants to walk really bad but he is just a little scared of putting that other foot forward.

Come visit us in Nebraska anytime!!

The scary slide

The scary slide

Watch the video

This video was originally shared on blip.tv by fischersmovies with a No license (All rights reserved) license.

God's Promise

Sorry it has been so long since we have posted a picture! We are finally starting to feel settled here in Omaha. I know where two Wal-Marts are so I guess that is all I need(haha).

Tonight we were at my aunt's house and a beautiful double rainbow appeared over her house. The last time I saw a double rainbow was at church camp when I was about 15 or 16. I remember we were walking down the big hill to the multi purpose building after worship, when it appeared. The irony of the whole thing was that the worship service was about Noah and the Ark. It was one of those moments when you felt like God was really SPEAKING to you. Everyone was silent as we walked down the big hill.

I felt the same way tonight. I don't know if you take this verse literally but I certainly do. Genesis 9:16 says, "Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."

Hi guys!! I feel like I have been out of touch with everyone! We are still without a computer and they are going to be replacing it soon!

Everything is great! We are getting settled in and loving our new home! I will try to get pics as soon as possible.

Hopefully we will have a computer in the next two weeks or so!!!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while! Our computer is down and I am posting from a friends computer. It may be a while before our computer is up and running again...we have to get some stuff saved off the hard drive and then do a system restore(whatever that means). All I know is that it is going to erase everything off our hard drive(pictures and all). We will be moving next week, so keep us in your prayers!

Thanks to all who helped paint our house on Saturday!! It looks great and it only took HALF of the day!!

Here is a recent pic!

I know what you are thinking...two posts in one day? Well I just had to tell you this funny story:

Last night we were laying in bed talking when all of a sudden I spotted a HUGE spider crawling up the curtain right next to me! I didn't even know that I could move that fast! After we threw him in the toilet(well actually Franklin threw him in...I wouldn't touch him...I'm not crazy), we checked him out to see if he was a brown recluse. We weren't sure, but we flushed him and watched him go to spider heaven. Well that's what we told Fischer anyway...he woke up right after I screamed and jumped out of bed.

We both decided that we were NOT sleeping in the bed...I would sleep on the couch and Franklin would sleep in the recliner. I know it sounds crazy...but this was a very BIG spider...the kind you see in movies. It also doesn't help that I have extreme arachnaphobia.

We then spent the next hour on the computer trying to positively identify the spider. We decided it was not a brown recluse, but a funnel web. So we did go back to the bed to sleep...but only after we checked the room thouroughly!

All that said...I am ready to move up north, where there are not as many spiders!

Fischer is definitely learning the meaning of the word "no."
He loves to push the buttons on the T.V.(it is low to the ground in the armoire) , so I am always telling him NO when he goes near it. This morning when I told him "NO" he turned around and gave me the most pitiful look. He then began to cry as if I had hurt his feelings. It was so sad, that I even began to cry. Maybe I was tearful because he actually understood the word and tone of my voice. He is growing up so fast and is learning new things every day! He can now, "Pat the Daddy", wave, point to your nose, pull up on furniture(he is determined to walk soon!), and try to mimic the sounds I make while reading his animal book!

I can remember the day I found out I was pregnant...it seems like just yesterday. I am cherishing every day and every moment. Children are a true gift from God!

Well, it has been a long day. I have a feeling that the next few weeks will consist of many long days.

Fischer has been going to bed at 8:30 and sleeping until 8 or 8:30 in the morning! I remember the days when I thought I would NEVER get 8 hours of sleep again! We find ourselves exhausted at 9:00 pm, yet bored at the same time. We often wonder...what in the world did we do before he came along?

We bought a wardrobe box today for moving and he had a blast playing in it tonight. He crawled from one end to the next for about 30 minutes. Who says kids need expensive toys...just buy them boxes.

Sorry, I don't have any new pics of Fischer to post, so here is an oldie but a goodie...hehe

Go Cornhuskers...hehe

Well we returned from Omaha with a new home! We are so grateful to God for making this transition smooth.

I can't promise that we will be Cornhuskers, but it looks like Fischer is on his way.

Here's a funny story: This morning Franklin went out to the garage to find a pair of pants. When he opened the door he let out a this horrifying scream(the kind you see in movies).
I screamed not knowing what was going on. I was sure he had seen a ghost or someone holding a gun to his head. He slammed the door and ran into the living room. He then proceeded to tell me that there was a bird in the garage. What is so scary about that? Well when he opened the door it flew right at him. I am so glad that it did not come in the house!! Don't worry...the bird is now free.

Hey, anyone who wants to help us move... we will probably be having a big moving party the 13th and 14th of May. Pizza provided!
Thanks for your prayers!

Omaha Here We Come

So the deal is done...we are moving to Omaha and will start the new ministry June 1st. We are SO excited about the move and the plans that God has for us. We also got the news today that the final offer on our house was accepted!! Now we just have to wait for the inspection and appraisal.

Thank you to everyone who prayed about this situation! Our prayers were answered!

Easter was great. Grandma and Grandpa were here and we went to the park and took pictures. Hope you enjoy.

Well we are back from our interview. We felt like we were family the whole weekend. Omaha is a really neat city and we would move there in a heartbeat.

Isn't it funny how God works in our lives? We doubt His wisdom and His plans for us. We are upset when He closes a door, not realizing that another door is about to open. We question Him about why the door closed, when all along He is saying, "Don't worry, I have plans for you." How badly I wish that I could trust God more.

This whole situation has taught me a very valuable lesson. What doors has God closed and opened for you?

Ok so the news is out...we are moving. We are so excited about what God has in store for us, yet sad to leave such wonderful friends. It was a difficult day...but the love from everyone was incredible.

It's late but just wanted to post a little something. The time change has made me extremely tired...or maybe it's chasing after our newly mobile child.
Anyhow, continue to pray for our family.

I have a wonderful husband. This morning he made me breakfast, took the baby and let me just sit and enjoy. He then told me how he was unable to sleep this morning and lay in bed watching an infomercial about a product that made yummy breakfast food. He said he was starving when he woke up. What a selfless person to make me breakfast, let me SIT DOWN and eat it, all while he was starving.

He has always been a giving, selfless person but I know I do not notice or appreciate him enough. What an incredible dad as well. Many nights he has slept on the floor by our sons crib worried about him.

P.S. To the red and yellow car bandits...don't worry I know where you live and I will get you back.

We are having a lot of fun this week. Mom and Dad are here and we have been extremely busy getting the house ready. We planted flowers, put shutters on the big window, made a path out of pavers, and put a bunch of stuff in storage. Everyday I am so thankful for all of their help. I don't think we could have done it without them.

Things are definitely looking up. God has awesome things planned for us. When life was stormy a few weeks ago I couldn't see past my pain.
NOW I know that the storm was necessary to bring us a HUGE blessing!

P.S. Uh, is he a little Steve or what????

It has rained all day. We definitely need the rain. Now we don't have to go water our lawn in fear of our house burning down from wildfires. Well, okay they probably wouldn't be wildfires. They would probably start when either of our smoking neighbors threw their cigarette in our yard. I digress.

I took this picture of our sons feet a few weeks ago. Aren't they precious? Is there really anything more precious than the feet of a baby? I often find myself looking at his feet and daydreaming about what they will do and where they will go. I think to myself, I can't believe that these are the same feet that will someday run on a football field or kick a soccer ball.
Well for now we will just look forward to his first steps.

Romans 10:15, "And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.'"

I need some good news...PLEASE if you have good news share it. You don't have to bring it by foot though, unless you want to...haha.

Our son waved goodbye today for the first time! It was SO adorable. My husband was walking out the door to return to work and I showed our son how to wave goodbye. Then he did it!!!

It is so much fun to watch him learn things and amazing to know that he is soaking up everything.

Well this is a short post just wanted to say hello. Please continue to keep our family in your prayers. We know that God has great things planned for us.

Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm youm plans to give you hope and a future."

Hey guys,
Sorry I haven't posted in a while. We've been a little preoccupied with "stuff." Are you like me? Do you tend to praise God more when life is going great?

One of the hardest things to do is praise Him in the storm.


I was sure by now
That You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say “Amen”, and it’s still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
“I’m with you”
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I’ll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
Every tear I’ve cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry
You raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can’t find You

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
“I’m with you”
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth

We covet everyones prayers.

New Picture

I really have nothing to write about...I just wanted to show off my new pics. Isn't he adorable?

He is holding his Daddy's hand.

2 Corinthians 6:18 says, "I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."

What's funny is that yesterday I had nothing to write about. Today I could seriously write a novel. But I will spare you.

Isn't it weird how we never really think about Satan and what he is capable of doing. I find myself hardly ever thinking about him or even realizing that he exists. But then when someone hurts you realize that this is Satan's way of trying to make you turn from God. He uses all kinds of people(even the ones we least expect), in all kinds of situations, in all different types of ways(he is very sneaky).

2 Corinthians 11:14 says, "And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light."
We know he is the exact opposite, the prince of darkness, but isn't it scary how he disguises himself.

Aren't you glad that you have God to lean on when Satan comes prowling around?

I like the way my friend Erin put it in a recent email: Dont let Satan "poof" you out. In other words, Satan wants to put out our light. Don't let him! (By the way I am preaching to myself)

Here is a cute pic of my son and Elmo...you know the one he likes to watch on T.V.(haha)

I am writing in green today because it reminds me of a warm tropical climate. I wish I was in a warm tropical climate. My feet have been frozen for approximately 4 days.

I really have nothing to write about this week. So, I will just post a cute picture of my son in his OU outfit(sorry to all the OSU fans).

Hey BFF...I love ya(haha)

Happy Valentines Day!!! Hope everyone is having a great day. Everything here is going well. Franklin has been sick the past few days but is feeling better today. Twice now he has woke me up in the middle of the night with a high fever feeling like he is going to pass out. The first time we went to the emergency room. He gets white as a ghost and his face is covered in sweat. I have concluded that this is just how his body reacts when he is sick. The first time he had a horrible viral infection and this time I think he just had a little stomach bug.

We have started a new tradition in our family. Well actually we started it two years ago but we didn't do it last year. I really want to teach Fischer to be a giving person and since we are his main examples that means we need to be giving as well. We decided that every year on Valentines Day we would deliver flowers, candy, etc... to the widows and single people at church. We had a lot of fun except everyone wanted us to come in and talk. Maybe next year we will just stick to a few people so that we can have more time to visit. Some of the widows just seem so lonely.

I am so thankful for my family. I am such a social person that I can't imagine being home alone all day. We should do a better job of taking care of them.

James 1:27 says, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

Blessings

Isn't God awesome?

Yesterday I was feeling really down for several reasons. The major one being that we have NO money and it is impossible to cook with no groceries. I guess I started feeling sorry for myself and then it just went downhill from there.

Then the commode broke...we only have one commode, so when it doesn't work...well you get the picture. I knew that any plumber would charge at least $70 to fix it.

I went to bed crying just holding on to the fact that tomorrow was payday and maybe we could manage to squeeze $70 out to pay a plumber. I know it sounds so trivial when we both have our health and a beautiful healthy boy. I even told myself that over and over trying to make to make myself feel better. I just felt so overwhelmed.

Here is the God is awesome part:
When I woke up this morning the commode was fixed, who knew God had time to fix my commode...haha.

Then when Franklin went to work he picked up his paycheck and found an anounymous gift for
$500.

I just thank God for taking care of us once again.

2 Corinthians 9:15, "Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift."

P.S. Isn't he adorable...talk about a blessing

Did I mention that being a mom is scary??? Oh yeah...I DID mention that in my last blog!

Tonight, when my son was going to sleep (while nursing), his head and neck twitched in what appeared to be a seizure. I freaked out, picked him up, and started screaming his name. He then started to cry. So, I started nursing him again and he began to twitch again!

I yelled at my loving husband, "Honey!" He looked at me with a look that said, "What am I supposed to do?" and "Stop, you're scaring me!"

We ended up paging the doctor, who told us it was no big deal. He said that sometimes babies just have spasms. That comment didn't make us feel any better!

I guess I will make a doctor appointment tomorrow.

Any advice out there? Has this happened to anyone else?

Sesame Street

My son is really starting to sit up well. This morning I put him on the floor with the boppy behind him and he sat and watched a whole HOUR of Sesame Street.

Is that bad when your six month old already watches an hour of TV a day???? He loves it and is extremely amused by Elmo.

With that said, being a mom is hard, you constantly wonder whether or not you are doing the right thing. Will he grow up and be addicted to TV? Of course his main examples in life sure watch a lot of TV as well. We watch way too much TV.

Psalm 1:2 says, "But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on is law he meditates day and night." Can you imagine what our faith would be like if we all meditated on God's word day and night? I know that I don't do enough of it.

Here is a picture of my adorable son watching TV this morning.

Well I have finally done it. I have entered the vast world of internet blogging. I have been fighting it for quite some time with such excuses as: only weirdos do those types of things and who has time for that? And then I decided it might be a good way for me to vent and write some stuff down. The only thing is that EVERYONE will be reading it. It seems a little strange but it could be fun.

I haven't really decided what to write about every day. I guess I will just write about being a mom and a youth ministers wife. Both can be challenging and rewarding. I am going to try and put a scripture on every blog not only for my own memory but for you to ponder as well.

One thing I treasure is seeing my sons face when I pick him up from Sunday School. He is always SO happy to see me. He gets the biggest grin on his face. It makes me think of the kind of love that we should have for God. He is waiting for us at the end of class and are we happy to meet Him? Do we rejoice when we have the opportunity to worship him or to serve a brother or sister?

Philippians 4:4 says, "Rejoice in the Lord Always. I will say it again, Rejoice."